Rev Sam Korankye Ankrah has advised the Electoral Commission (EC) to declare the results of the December presidential election as soon as possible to ease the tension that characterises that period when there is a delay in calling the results.
In the 2016 elections, for example, the elections were declared two days after the polls had ended.
It sparked some fear and panic among the citizenry, who were unsure of the election outcome due to the numerous press conferences and counter-press conferences by the two main political parties, which were both claiming to be in the lead.
To avoid such tension, the founder and leader of Royalhouse Chapel has urged the EC to declare the results, at least, a day after the polls end.
He also called on losing candidates to concede.
Delivering a sermon in church on Sunday, 1 November 2020, the Apostle General said: “When the results are released, any man who loses must concede.
“Concede that you’ve lost; and, by the way, when the votes are cast, the three, four, five days that the Electoral Commission makes Ghana sit and wait, those days are troubling because we can’t eat, we can’t go out, we are troubled, we don’t know what will happen because one group is doing a press conference and says: ‘Don’t worry, we are having a comfortable lead’. While they are having that press conference, another one is countering them saying: ‘We are not in the comfortable lead but by the results we have, we have already won.’
“And you see fear in the atmosphere of the whole country, apprehension; people are not going, people are not coming, people who have blood pressure fall and die.
“Please, Electoral Commission, is it possible to, when we finish election, within the following day, declare the results? Are we not in a computer age?” he wondered.
“Declare the results and when the results are announced, the losers must concede as Saul conceded to David…”